Repost: Ginger Chocolate Cookie Bars

Ginger Chocolate Cookie Bars

These started pretty much the way most of my favorite treats do: I was making chocolate chip cookies, decided I wanted them to be Chocolate Chocolate Chip and well, here you go!

3 tbsp vegetable shortening

5 tbsp coconut oil (I used Tropical Traditions)

1 c brown sugar
1/2 c cane sugar
1 tsp vietnamese cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate (I used dark, semi-sweet & white)
1/4 c candied ginger, chopped
2 c pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a baking pan with parchment. melt shortening, oil and chocolate. Don't overmelt that way you can have some chunks if you like. set aside to cool.

add sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger. mix together with a wooden spoon. add flour and baking soda. mix together with wooden spoon.

Add eggs (make sure batter is not warm at all before adding eggs!) go to it with the wooden spoon.

Spread batter onto baking sheet evenly. bake for approx 25 min. let cool. eat!

RePost: Afternoon Walnut French Toast

Afternoon Walnut French Toast

The trick to good French toast is not just the quality of the ingredients, but how long you allow the bread to soak. You cannot rush through it as you want the bread to be toasted and yet still have give on the inside.


I am not big on syrup, so I actually like to just add a bit of sugar to my mix, to give it a bit of sweetness and for flavor I use vanilla flavored sugar. You cannot rush food if you plan to enjoy it and thus you must take the time to care about what you are doing. This goes along well with the easy simplicity of breakfast for lunch.

Gather:

1 loaf of walnut bread or other favorite bread (1-2 slices per person)
Eggs
Vanilla Sugar
Milk
Butter or oil

Whisk eggs and sugar with milk. You need just enough for however much you are making. So per person about 1 egg, 2 tsp sugar and 2 tsp milk.

Soak your bread and heat the butter/oil in your pan.

Cook on medium heat until cooked through. Serve with something yummy such as some form of bacon or a lovely glass of tea!

Tiger Shrimp with mushrooms and noodles

While watching Nigella Lawson today, I got inspired to try a variation of what she was making.

ginger, garlic, dried chilis, soy sauce, meyer lemon and rice vingear to marinate the shrimp

Rather than cook the arugula, I mixed it with the hot pasta to wilt it

bubble,bubble you tasty shellfish!

Nigella served hers over black rice, but the noodles were a great foil for this spicy dish

Banana Scones

Banana Scones

8 oz whole grain pastry flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

2 oz vegetable shortening

2 oz turbinado sugar

1 med to large banana, peeled, sliced in half and then in bits

2 oz egg (1 large egg)

2-3 oz plain yogurt


set oven to 425.

Combine dry ingredients. Rub in shortening, then add banana to coat. Whisk together egg & yogurt, then combine with dry mix until just combined. Knead lightly.

I use a cast iron skillet lined with parchment paper. Bake for approx 20 min. cut into triangles. Should yield 6-8 scones depending on how you cut them. For a little extra sweetness, you can sprinkle with some extra sugar.

Mascarpone Pecan Pie

1 prepared chocolate cookie crust

12 oz Mascarpone

3 eggs

½ c powdered sugar

½ tsp vanilla

2 tsp cream

¾ c chopped pecan pieces


Preheat oven to 350 f.


Whip first five ingredients until combined. Fold in pecans and then pour into the crust. Bake for 20 minutes, then allow to cool. Serve w/fresh berries and crème anglaise.

Brown Sugar Cake

There is something infinitely soothing about making a cake. My favorite make to make one that requires no actual thought on my part and can be done so quickly that it boggles the mind to think so many people find it hard.

For me it is not about the end result. Sure everyone loves cake. Since my personal favorite end result is pie, cake is another matter entirely. Measuring, weighing, creaming, folding. The act itself is so satisfying that I could and apparently have, do it in my sleep.

For this recipe, you want the butter and eggs to be at room temperature. It requires a scale and I think it is worth getting the scale out for this one. Once the cake is baked and filling your house with that wonderful scent, you will see it was worth the extra bit of effort.

Luna’s ¼ lb Brown Sugar Cake

Ready?

Weigh out a quarter pound each of butter, brown sugar, flour and eggs.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. It takes about 2-3 minutes.

Add eggs. Make sure eggs are fully absorbed. This means that the butter looks uniform.

Slowly add flour with the mixer running. Once the flour is incorporated you can stop mixing. Pull out the bowl and combine whatever is on the sides into the mix. Pour or scoop into prepared pans. This recipe yields one 6” square pan or 2 medium small loaf pans.

Bake for approx 30 min. Check them at this point because ovens vary. Mine tends to run rather hot.

Serve with berries, stone fruit, chocolate sauce, whipped cream or whatever gorgeous thing takes your fancy!

David Benton is one to watch

I meet a lot of people I like, but it is not every day that you meet someone you like so much that after you interview them, you really want to be their friend.

I woke up this morning to such an awesome email: It was David telling me he loved the article I wrote on him and thanking me for getting him right.

I am really happy about this, because I really do thing he is going to be the next big thing, and if he isn't it's so totally your fault!

This is what I wrote after first meeting David but I must say it is nothing like experiencing his desserts and his personality for yourself. He'll be hanging out with me at the Tasting Pavilion Saturday afternoon at Foodbuzz, so read the article before you meet the man!

A Sweet picture

The other day I had the pleasure of meeting someone who made me crazy in a good way.

He is a fellow pastry chef who loves classic movies, retro themes and made me laugh so hard you wouldn't believe.

You will be able to read my interview with him in Cuisine Noir Mag next month but I wanted to show the tarts he brought me so you can get your drool on and give you his website you too can fall in love!

SugarsweetsSF Both tarts were soo good. Being a strawberry fanatic though, that one was my favorite!!

The Blogger in Me: Project FoodBuzz

Baking pastry is like magic
like all the food I create
love pours from my fingers
in the form of butter, sugar and eggs
whipped, creamed, beaten
so they can thrive to become
the gift of a kitchen witch
and I can share my soul

Cooking is creation
the joys of the share
food can be a revelation
with sweet scents in the air
pumpkin challah, rosewater cupcakes,
or just plain old chorizo soup
let me make you a little happier
and help chase away your blues

Eat oysters and sushi with me
we will drink champagne until dawn
I am so much more than just a food blogger
chef, singer, artist,
creator of desserts so right they are wrong

I write because I love it and
words flow from my fingers
like sugar into a bowl as
I make cranberry pecan brownies
and drink a classic cocktail

Come into my kitchen
magic you will see,
I create with passionate joy
and with passionate joy you eat

Quick & Easy Chocolate Pudding

1 c milk
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cocoa powder(or more if you like chocolatey)
3 tbsp brown sugar (or to taste)
2 tsp vanilla

Whisk first four ingredients in a saucepan. Turn heat to medium, cook until mixture is hot, (not boiling) stirring constantly. This important, it's in that moment that it will overcook! Turn heat to low and cook until thick. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and enjoy!

Even  better, you can add whipped cream and fruit for an easy & fabulous parfait.

Cashew Brownies w/White Chocolate Frosting

1 c vanilla sugar *+ 1 c roasted, unsalted cashews, pulsed together (though not fine3/4 c peanut oil
3 eggs
1 c buttermilk
2 c flour
1 c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder

Frosting: 12 oz white chocolate, melted w/2 tbsp half & half
1 c powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp half & half (if needed)

To make Brownies: Preheat oven to 325 F.

Combine dry ingrediants and set aside. Combine oil with sugar nut mix. Add eggs one at a time until just combined. Add butter milk, then dry mix. Do not overmix.

Pour out into a wax paper lined small cookie sheet. Bake @ 325 F for 20-30 minutes, or until cooked through.

While Brownies are baking, combine melted chocolate, sugar and extra half and half if needed. Spread frosting ontop Brownies, slice and enjoy!

If you like your desserts sweeter, you can add up to one more cup of sugar, though I think the frosting makes it plenty sweet enough!

Whoopie for Whoopie Pies!

United Cakes of America review part 2

Next up were the Whoopie Pies, which I made for my birthday cake. Okay, it’s not a cake per se but it is delicious and filled with gooey goodness so what is not to love?! I have long searched for the perfect Whoopie Pie recipe and personally I think I found it. The consistency and flavor are spot on and they are really very easy to make.

 I served them with fresh strawberries and a few blackberries after a gorgeous dinner of chicken mushroom Marsala with red potatoes and green beans.

For Whoopie Pies:

Dry Ing

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill, Potato Starch

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ing

3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 light brown sugar, packed
1 egg

preheat oven to 350 F. line 2 baking pans with parchment and spray with non-stick spray.

In separate bowls, combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients, set aside.

cream butter and sugars for 3 minutes, then add egg. alternate dry and wet mixture. do this quickly and make sure you scrape down your bowl. This batter is sensitive, so don't overwork it!

Using a 1/2 cup or a 2 oz cookie scoop, drop dough onto sheet pans and make sure they are spaced out. bake 12-15 minutes. i wouldn't use my regular cookie racks to cool these as they would leave a pattern on the soft cakes.

Seven Minute Frosting

1 1/4 cups sugar
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon each: vanilla, amaretto, rum (or your preference...I like scotch or bourbon!)

Bring a pan of water to simmer so you can create a double boiler. Combine sugar, egg whites, salt and cream of tartar over the simmering water. beat with a handheld mixer for 7 minutes.

The seven minute frosting is marshmallowy and though it takes a long time, is quite delicious. That being said, I think that next time I will take a half cup of sugar out of the filling as I found it a bit too sweet.

I stored these covered on a plate and you want to make sure you use parchment paper or the like to separate or they stick together.

The major bonus is that after sitting overnight they bear a strong resemblance to that childhood favorite you no longer eat because it is filled with junk. Yeah!!

also next time i want to try some different flavors, maybe adding a bit of fruit puree to the filling just for fun.

Cherry Bundt Cake

I am breaking this cookbook review into three parts or else it will be ridiculously long:

A few months ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Warren Brown and chatting about his new cookbook. He is such an encouraging person with the sort of enthusiasm I don’t often find in many people. I was very excited when we talked about his newest book, the United Cakes of America: Recipes Celebrating Every State, which showcases each states specialty cake.

When it landed on my doorstep, I was thrilled beyond belief: after a few weeks of not really baking, I was ready to get into the kitchen and show my stuff. First off, I went through the book and looked at each recipe. Then I bookmarked the ones that I most wanted to try immediately, followed by making a list of ingredients I would need for the task.

As a pastry chef and avid baker, I do generally have most of the ingredients one would need lying around, but it’s good to make sure you have fresh milk, eggs and well, when you bake a lot you go through sugar pretty fast!

It was hard to choose where to start first, but I went for Bundt cake. I made minis using my angel food cake pans, and I added fresh cherries. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Not only is this cake delicious, it is good when used to bribe your friendly neighborhood bartender when he spots you a drink cause you're broke!

Cake:

Dry Ing
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ing
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

2 sticks butter
2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons sugar
6 eggs

Preheat oven to 335 F after making sure rack is in the center. Spray or brush either a 12 cup bundt pan or mini pans as you wish. I used 4 mini angel food cake pans and 3 loaf pans.

whisk dry ingredients together in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another bowl and set aside. cream butter and sugar for about 5 minutes then add eggs one at a time, scraping the sides down.

alternate the dry and wet ingredients, scrape down the sides and use your spatula to make sure the sides are combined in. Scoop into prepped pan(s) and bake approx. 50 minutes for large cake, 30 miniutes for minis. Cool 5 minutes, invert and cool.

Glaze or leave plain. Or drizzle with chocolate!

I added a 1/4 cup of cherries but next time I will add a 1/2 cup of cherries and some lime zest, just because that sounds good to me. I also think you could add lemon and anise for another delicious set of flavors!

Stayed tuned, because next up is....Whoopie Pies!

Pigs in a what now?

If you look up “grew up under a rock” in the dictionary, you will find a picture of my boyfriend. He didn’t watch Disney movies as a kid, hated mac and cheese and has never had a pig in a blanket.


Me: You’ve never had pigs in a blanket?!

Him: I just said no! (huffily)

Me: Geez, you really did grow up under a rock. Your mom is weird.

So I made some special, just for him.

My favorite biscuit book of all time is Biscuit Bliss by James Villas.  Biscuit Bliss: 101 Foolproof Recipes for Fresh and Fluffy Biscuits in Just Minutes



I discovered this wonderful writer when I read an article he did on absinthe. The book was a loan from my soul mother and it didn’t get returned before she passed on, so the book is extra special to me.

Even though I use it a lot, it actually still looks pretty new. Well, on the outside anyway!

I made the Traditional Baking Powder biscuits and added poppy seeds, pepper and a bit of hot mustard powder to the dough for a little something extra. I served with salad, crispy potatoes and grainy mustard on the side.

Traditional Baking Powder Biscuits

2 c all purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

¼ c chilled vegetable shortening

¾ to 1 c whole milk

1 tsp each poppy seeds, pepper and hot mustard powder (optional)


Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a large mixing bowl whisk dry ingredients together. Add shortening and cut in with your hands or a fork. The mixture should appear mealy. Gradually add milk using your fork until sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, knead and pat out to desired thickness.

Cut into squares and then triangles. Roll hot dogs into dough and bake for 15 minutes.

Espresso White Chocolate Brownies

As a pastry chef, I have been known to invent new ways to torture myself.


One way was to spend my spare time inventing new treats for my adopted Parisian Nana.


As you can imagine, she was hard to impress! Luckily, I tapped into her favorite things and got very inventive.


This recipe was one I came up with in December of ‘04, just before I became a grill cook and lost my mind.

Espresso White Chocolate Brownies

4 oz white chocolate (I like El Rey)
1/2 c butter
*melt in double boiler until smooth, set aside.

Preheat oven to 325 F. and prep your baking sheet. Use a half sheet pan to layer parchment over lapping edges for easy removal. set aside.

Combine:
2 c sugar
2 tsp espresso extract
4 large eggs

Once combined, stir in into cooled chocolate (it has to be cooled or your eggs will curdle)

Fold in 1 c all purpose flour and 1c chopped nuts (your choice. I used hazelnuts)

Pour into prepped pan & spread evenly. Bake on center rack for approx 25 min, then cut into squares and enjoy!

Liked this recipe, changed it up? Email me @ mailto:luna@lunaraven.comto tell me all about it!

Cucumber and Pink Lady Apple aqua fresca

With summer approaching (though not fast, as it is raining as I write this!) refreshing is going to be the word on everybody's mind. This is something you could take to a picinic, barbeque, serve with burgers or tacos and best of all? If you wanted to, you could easily make it a cocktail!

This recipe is adapted from the Watermelon Aqua Fresca in Amor Y Tacos, with only the fruits being changed. It's really a great recipe and really you are only limited by your imagination on this one. Fruit: it's what you're drinking!

2 cups (mixed) cucumber and pink lady apple
3 cups water
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon sugar (or more if you need it a bit sweeter)

Mash the fruit to a pulp. (I used a hammer. Yes. I really did.) Stir in water, lime, juice, sweetener. Chill and serve.

We had this with potato tacos and fresh pico de gallo. It was wonderful.

Chickpea Dip

This is great for added protein and yummy on whole grain crackers! Its also tasty with Tuna in Olive Oil.


15 oz can chickpeas, drained
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Pinch salt, or taste
¼ tsp dill
3 tsp lime juice
Olive Oil

Combine all ingredients minus the oil in a food processor. Slowly add oil until you get the desired consistency. The less oil you add, the thicker it will be, the more you add, the smoother and creamier it will be.

Oatmeal Brownies

I was reading “Fatally Flaky” by Diane Mott Davidson and she was making oatmeal lace cookies. They sounded delicious. I, however, was feeling lazy and scooping, baking and cooling a bunch of cookies sounded like a lot of work.


I made a few little changes, doubled the recipe and am delighted to report that these magical brownies are not only delicious, but gluten free as well! I did several trial runs of these and I have to say, I prefer them best when they are thin and crispy with a hint of Meyer lemon, extra chocolate and made with turbinado for a deep rich flavor. I hope you like them!

Oatmeal Brownies, adapted from Diane Mott Davidson’s Fatally Flaky Cookies

2 sticks butter

1½ cup brown sugar + 2 tbsp (set aside for topping)

5 tbsp cocoa powder

3 c quick cooking oats, toasted

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp sea salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten with 2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp oat flour

Optional: ½ c Marcona almonds, zest of half a Meyer lemon, 2 oz of chopped dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.

Melt butter on low, then add sugar and stir about 3 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in cocoa, oat flour and oats. Mix together, then add baking powder and salt. Mix together just to dissolve and distribute dry ingredients.

In a glass, use a fork to beat the eggs with vanilla. Fold quickly into cooled oatmeal mixture. (You don’t want to overwork this.)

Luna’s Note: If you want to add lemon zest or some chopped chocolate, do it was you fold in the eggs.

Spread mixture into pan out to the edges. If you like them thinner and crispier, only use about ¾ of the blend and bake the rest separately.

Bake 12-15 minutes and allow to cool before cutting, even though this is nearly impossible!

Hank Shaw: hunter, fisher, forager, teacher

Please note, all photos featured in this blogpost are (C) Holly A. Heyser-Field to Table Food Photography  Thanks Holly!

When Hank Shaw said on our blogger list that he would be happy to teach a group of us to break down a lamb, the excitement was palpable. When he said he would do it for the cost of the lamb, the reaction was ‘Really?!’


I was one of the people who had never actually met Hank, though I can tell you I knew him by reputation. My friends Elise and Ryan think so highly of him that I naturally assumed he must be absolutely wonderful.

To my great and utter joy, I was not disappointed.

When someone welcomes you into their home, as Hank and Holly did, they don’t do it lightly. And when the offer you homemade yogurt cheese (labneh) marinated in olive oil, thyme and sumac, they are just really amazingly nice people. With very good taste.

If you have ever been in a room with a bunch of food bloggers, you know that there were cameras, note taking and way more jokes than might be acceptable to those who don’t believe allusions of any sort should come with their meat.

Watching my friends attack a half a lamb was really quite interesting. Watching someone with a knife tells you a lot about them. I am terribly convinced that Biggie has a dark past with a saw (no really, she’s way too good with that thing.)

“A dull knife is a lazy servant.” Hank Shaw

As Hank broke down the first half of the lamb he told us what each cut was called, and how you can slightly alter your cuts. I know this is the part where you want the copious note taker in me to have gotten all of this down, complete with charts and drawings, but alas, there I failed you.

I did however get some great tips to make it easier:

*Use a boning knife to cut tissue, using the natural gravity of the motion


*Don’t use a saw for anything but bone. Otherwise you just gunk up your saw


*If you hit cartilage while cutting, move around it, not through it. If you find yourself at a wrong angle, stop yourself and reset.


*BE COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR KNIFE


*Look for the natural breaks


*Make sure you regularly dry your hands!


*Lamb fat is very hard. Hank recommends using very little if you make sausage, lest you destroy your grinder

If you really want to know HOW to do it, I suggest you check out Hank’s blog and twitter. If you get the chance to meet him, even better. Hank loves to share his knowledge and he is so passionate about eating real fresh food, it is easy to get swept into his excitement.

What I took away from the adventure was the essence: when it comes to being social about food and sharing, the community of it, some people are very adept.

I walked out of Hank’s house feeling blessed to be a part of a community where we could have an event like this. Not with chef rock stars charging a lot of money, but with a man who is so passionate about teaching, he would do it for the joy of doing it.

Now, I am not against chef rock stars charging an arm and a leg. That is their choice to charge it and mine not to pay it.

The things I would change about the experience are minimal: I wish there had been some sort of introduction at the beginning as it might have been slightly easier to communicate with some of our fellows. Being in big groups, people naturally laugh, joke and then break back off into known groups.

I also feel that when you are invited to someone’s home, you should bring something. This is just how I was raised. (So half the group did and half the group didn’t. This is disproportionate when people are hungry!)

Hank talked about fishing and I’ll be honest: for the first time in 20 years, that actually sounds interesting to me. (My dad took us fishing a couple times as kids, but I think Hank’s idea of fishing and my dad’s sound quite a bit different!)

Interestingly, the question that has been popping up more and more among my friends is, “You eat it, but could you kill it?” I like that Hank Shaw answers this question in such a simple way. He is not a malicious man, he is a hungry man. He is not a cruel man, he is an honest man. He has no fear of working hard for what he gets and if that includes hunting, killing, foraging and cleaning his own food, well then he’s going to do it.

I look forward to foraging with Hank in the fall, and learning more about the essential elements and processes of life that we have gravitated so far away from. It will be interesting become closer to nature and move the other way; toward the past, which seems, for many, to be the way forward.

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

My Nana loved white chocolate and had some special dietary needs that inspired me to create this recipe for her. Originally I used soy butter, but if you are watching your salt intake, I suggest using salt free butter or shortening.

4 oz White Chocolate (I like El Rey)
4 oz Peanut Butter
10 oz butter or shortening
8 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups brown sugar
2 c flour

preheat oven to 325 F and grease and parchment a 1/2 sheet pan.

 Melt chocolate and peanut butter smooth, set aside. Beat eggs, salt and sugar until fluffy. Beat in cooled chocolate mixture. Add flour and don't over mix!

Pour onto sheet pan and bake 18-20 min or until a knife comes out clean.